The invention relates to a portable hard surface cleaning appliance for drawing off and sucking up liquid from a hard surface, in particular, from a window pane, comprising a suction nozzle with a suction opening on which at least one drawing-off lip is arranged, a suction unit which is in flow connection with the suction nozzle for sucking up a liquid-air mixture from the suction opening, a separation chamber which is positioned in the flow path between the suction nozzle and the suction unit and in which a separation device is arranged for separating liquid from the liquid-air mixture, and a tank accommodating compartment in which a dirty liquid tank for receiving the liquid separated off in the separation chamber is releasably held, the tank accommodating compartment comprising at least one supporting element and at least one holding element, the at least one supporting element engaging under a lower tank section of the dirty liquid tank and the at least one holding element being releasably connectable to an upper tank section of the dirty liquid tank.
Such a portable hard surface cleaning appliance is known, for example, from EP 2 237 711 B1 and also from EP 2 230 980 B1 and EP 2 227 126 B1. With this portable hard surface cleaning appliance, a hard surface, in particular, a window pane can be cleaned. With the at least one drawing-off lip, the portable hard surface cleaning appliance can be moved along the hard surface in the manner of a manual squeegee so that liquid can be drawn off from the hard surface. The liquid collects at a suction opening of a suction nozzle of the portable hard surface cleaning appliance and can be sucked up from the suction opening and transferred to a dirty liquid tank. For this purpose, the portable hard surface cleaning appliance comprises a suction unit which is in flow connection with the suction nozzle. By means of the suction unit, a suction flow can be generated in the area of the suction opening, under the effect of which a mixture of liquid and air can be sucked in via the suction opening.
A separation chamber is positioned in the flow path between the suction nozzle and the suction unit. Arranged in the separation chamber is a separation device by means of which liquid can be separated off from the liquid-air mixture. The liquid can then be collected in the dirty liquid tank, which is releasably held in a tank accommodating compartment. The sucked-in air can be discharged by the suction unit to the environment.
The dirty liquid tank is fixed in the tank accommodating compartment by means of supporting and holding elements of the tank accommodating compartment. At least one supporting element engages under a lower tank section of the dirty liquid tank, and an upper tank section of the dirty liquid tank can be releasably connected to the tank accommodating compartment by means of at least one holding element. This makes it possible for the user to remove the dirty liquid tank from the tank accommodating compartment, as required, and to then insert the dirty liquid tank into the tank accommodating compartment again. For example, if the user wishes to empty the dirty liquid tank, it can be removed and inserted.
Portable hard surface cleaning appliances of the kind mentioned at the outset have proven their worth in practice. Holding elements of the tank accommodating compartment usually engage over the upper tank section of the dirty liquid tank, so that the dirty liquid tank inserted into the tank accommodating compartment assumes a position between a supporting element arranged at the lower end of the tank accommodating compartment and the holding elements arranged at the upper end of the tank accommodating compartment. This requires a high dimensional accuracy of the dirty liquid tank and so manufacture of the hard surface cleaning appliance involves considerable costs.
The object of the present invention is therefore to further develop a portable hard surface cleaning appliance of the generic kind so that it can be manufactured more cost-effectively.